Adalbert of Saxony (8 May 1467 in

Meissen Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...

– 1 May 1484 in

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; Hessian: ''Aschebersch'', ) is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg, despite being its administrative seat, is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg. Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...

) was

administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

of the

Archdiocese of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...

as ''Adalbart III''. Adalbert was the son of Elector

Ernest of Saxony Ernest (24 March 144126 August 1486), known as Ernst in German, was Elector of Saxony from 1464 to 1486. Ernst was the founder and progenitor of the ''Ernestine line'' of Saxon princes. Biography Ernst was born in Meissen, the second son (bu ...

and his wife Elisabeth of Bavaria-Munich. In order to protect the Thuringian areas of the

around

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

and in the

Eichsfeld The Eichsfeld ( or ; 'Oak-field') is a historical region in the southeast of the state of Lower Saxony (which is called , 'lower Eichsfeld') and northwest of the state of Thuringia (, 'upper Eichsfeld') in the south of the Harz mountains in Germany ...

area, archbishop

Diether von Isenburg Diether von Isenburg ( 14127 May 1482) was twice Archbishop (1459–1461 and 1475–1482) and founder of the University of Mainz. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was ''ex officio'' Elector and Lord Chancellor of Germany. Biography Diether was a son ...

and the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

of Mainz appointed Aldalbert, who was still a minor, in 1477 as Provisor of the city of Erfurt and High Bailiff of Rusteberg Castle in Rustenfelde in the Eichsfeld. In 1479, Adalbert was made a member of the cathedral chapter in Mainz. In 1480, he was elected

coadjutor The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

with the right to succeed as archbishop. This election result was confirmed by Pope

Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

in 1481, despite the Pope's reservations. After Dieter died, Adalbert succeeded him as ruler of the Archbishopric of Mainz on 8 May 1482. Since he was too young to be ordained as bishop, he became administrator. In 1483, he demanded that the city of Erfurt recognize the suzerainty of Mainz over the city. The archbishop's residence,

Martinsburg Castle The Martinsburg is a former plains castle in Mainz. It lay on the banks of the Rhine, adjacent to the space where the Electoral Palace now stands.Peter C. Hartmann, Mainz: Kleine Stadtgeschichte, Verlag Friedrich Pustet, 2017, 9783791761220 His ...

in Mainz, was completed during Adalbert's reign. Adalbart died in 1484, before he could be ordained as bishop, so he was never archbishop. He is therefore depicted without

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...

and

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

. Adalbert was unmarried. However, he had an illegitimate daughter named Sybilla.

References

* 15th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Holy Roman Empire Archbishop-electors of Mainz House of Wettin 1467 births 1484 deaths 15th-century German people Sons of prince-electors {{Germany-noble-stub